Atocha Train Station |
Madrid's Underground |
Madrid Airport |
Arriving by Air, Rail, Bus or Road
NOTE
The information on this page is intended as a transportation guide
to getting to Madrid from other countries or cities. Once you're in the city itself,
you'll probably need information on local transport ... since most visitors will be
arriving at
Barajas Airport, we provide valuable information on how to get downtown from
the airport here.
For the most economical option of getting around Madrid, check out the
official
Tourist Travel Pass.
Air:
Barajas Airport
Madrid's Barajas Airport is situated approximately 15
KM (7m) from the city centre and has four terminals. You are strongly recommended to consult your airline to find out
which terminal your flight arrives at or leaves from, but we give here some basic indications:-
T1 International Terminal:
Inter-continental and some European flights.
T2 Terminal:
Mostly European flights. Some intercontinental flights
T3 Puente Aereo Terminal:
Shuttle flights between Madrid and Barcelona
T4 Terminal:
Iberia and other OneWorld
alliance airline flights
Useful information on how to get downtown from the airport here.
The
airport is served by a fast-growing number of regular and charter
airlines. All major US, European, low-cost & charter airlines have a presence.
All Madrid Airport Hotels
Rail:
Renfe
The national rail company in Spain is called RENFE
Tel: 902-24 02 02
Renfe offers online booking in
English
here.
Tickets can also be bought over the phone or from
Madrid's 2 main train stations,
Atocha and Chamartin. Which station you use will depend on
where you're arriving from (or going to), although sometimes a train leaving one of the
stations will also pass through the other. Both connect conveniently with nearby Metro
stations.
Estación Atocha
Glorieta
del Emperador Carlos V,
Tel.:
(+34) 91 506 68 46
Atocha
is situated in the south of the city, very close to the centre. As its location suggests,
it mainly serves destinations in the south of Spain, and also those on the eastern
Mediterranean coast. If your origin or destination is Málaga, Seville, Córdoba or
Valencia you'll be using Atocha.
More info
here.
This
is also the home base for the AVE 
, Spain's high speed train connecting Madrid with Cuidad Real,
Córdoba, Seville and, from 20th February 2008, Barcelona (more
info here).
Madrid
- Seville on the AVE can be take as little as 2hours, 15mins and cost from 50 euros.
The Madrid to Barcelona route takes 2 hours 40 minutes and an
advance ticket purchased via Renfe's website can cost just 47 euros.
One of RENFE's surprising offers is a money-back
guarantee if the AVE is delayed more than 5 minutes !
Estación de Chamartín
Agustín de Foxá
Tel.: (+34) 91 315 99 76
Metro: Chamartín
Located in the north of the city and - yes, you
guessed it - trains from the north of Spain arrive here (the Basque Country, Barcelona,
France). Connected to the rest of the city by Metro and local trains running to some of
the other stations.
Another 3 train stations - Príncipe Pío (also known
as Estación del Norte), Recoletos and Nuevos Ministerios connect to suburban train lines
to nearby destinations such as Segovia, Toledo and El Escorial.
Bus
: Estación Sur
Estación Sur de Autobuses (Click here for detailed information)
Méndez Alvaro (near Calle Retamar)
Tel.: (+34) 91 468 42 00
Metro: Méndez Alvaro
Local Trains (Cercanías): Méndez Alvaro (lines C-5, C-7b and C-10)
You
can get to or from most cities in Spain by coach (autocar in Spanish). Madrid
itself has several long distance bus stations, but by far the most important bus terminal
in Madrid for long distance travel is this "South Terminal" from which you can
get to almost any national or international destination.
The other major bus station is the
Moncloa Bus Station.
Some private bus companies also have their own
terminals. Many are mentioned below.
Continental
Auto
Alenza 20
Tel.: (+34) 91 7456300
Metro: Cuatro Caminos
Main destinations: San Sebastián, Irún, Vitoria,
Burgos, Santander, Soria, Logroño and Pamplona.
Autocares Herrantz
Fernández de los Rios (near Calle Isaac Peral)
Tel.: (+34) 91 543 36 45
Metro: Moncloa
Main destinations: Include El Escorial, Las Rozas, Pozuelo, Majadahonda and Villalba.
Auto-Res
Estación Sur de Autobuses - Auto
Res
Fernández Shaw, 1
Tel: (+34) 91 551 72 00
Metro: Conde de Casal
Main destinations:
To the East and South: Tarancón, Cuenca, Valencia,
Cullera, Gandía, Tabernes, Castellón, Benicasim, Peñíscola, Oropesa and Vinaroz.
To the Northwest: Arévalo, Peñaranda, Salamanca, Medina del Campo, Tordesillas, Toro,
Benavente and Zamora.
To the West: Extremadura - Navalmoral, Trujillo, Cáceres, Mérida, Badajoz, Montanchez,
Plasencia and Coria.
La Sepulvedana
Paseo de la Florida, 11. Estación Sur de Auobuses - La Sepulvedana (Méndez Alvaro)
Tel.: (+34) 91 530 48 00
Metro: Méndez Alvaro
Local Trains (Cercanías): Méndez Alvaro
(lines C-5, C-7b and C-10)
Main destinations: Segovia, Avila, Talavera de la
Reina, Jaén, Guadarrama, Cercedilla and Villalba
Alsa
Estación Sur de Autobuses - Alsa
Tel.: 91 468 42 00
Metro: Méndez Alvaro
Local Trains (Cercanías): Méndez Alvaro (lines C-5, C-7b and C-10)
Main destinations: León, Gijón and the north
Road
: The 6 National Highways
Geographically, Madrid can be considered
Spain's wheel hub, the spokes being the 6 major roads leading out of the city in all
directions and starting at the famous Kilometer Zero point in the Puerta del Sol.
These highways can be accessed from the inner
ring-road known as the M30, and the outer one known as the M40. All the major
Car Rental companies are available in
Madrid.
A-I (ex N-I or Burgos Road)
To Burgos, Santander (for ferries to/from the UK),
the Basque County and Irún (border with France)
A-II (ex N-II or Barcelona Road)
To Barcelona and the Costa Brava, Guadalajara,
Zaragoza, Lérida and Portbou (border with France)
A-III (ex N-III or Valencia Road)
To Valencia, Cuenca, Albacete, Alicante and the Costa
Blanca, Castellón and the Costa Azahar and Murcia,
A-IV (ex N-IV or Andalusia Road)
To Cuidad Real, Jaén, Cordoba, Sevilla, Granada,
Almería, Malaga, Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Tarifa, Costal del Sol, Costa Cálida and
Costa Tropical, Gibraltar, and Algeciras (ferries to Morocco).
A-V (ex N-V or Extremadura Road)
To Talavera, Trujillo, Cáceres, Mérida, Badajoz,
Lisbon and also Huelva in Andalusia.
A-VI (ex N-VI or La Coruña Road)
To El Escorial, Segovia, Avila, Salamanca,
Valladolid, Zamora, León, the regions of Galicia and Asturias.
